What are the causes, what can you do about it?
Knee pain after basketball is a real bummer. The strong pulling, unpleasant throbbing or even stinging below the kneecap, on the outer sides or in the area of the back of the knee can have many causes - and make you feel really insecure at first. We would like to highlight a few classic causes that can lead to knee pain during or after basketball and show you solutions to combat them.
Where does it hurt?
Jumper's Knee
In connection with basketball and other jump-intensive sports, the so-called "jumper's knee", known to doctors as patellar tendinopathy, is particularly common.
It occurs at the front of the knee, slightly below the kneecap, and is usually caused by overloading the patellar tendon. This is actually a ligament (ligamentum patellae) and connects the lower tip of the kneecap to the shinbone. With repetitive strain, such as jumping, strong tensile forces act on this ligament, which can lead to painful degenerative changes (hence the name "jumper's knee").
In our special article you will find everything you need to know about jumper's knee in basketball and what you can do about it.
Injuries to the meniscus or (anterior) cruciate ligament
While a jumper's knee can usually be treated conservatively, injuries to the meniscus or cruciate ligament often require surgery. This leads to several months of sports breaks, which can cost you your hard-won place in the team.
To help you get back on the court quickly, we have developed an officially NBA-licensed knee brace. Its anatomically shaped Omega pad wraps around your kneecap, absorbs pressure peaks and massages the connective tissue during movement. The two pressure points and lateral wings in the lower part of the pad provide additional stimulation. This way, your stabilising muscles are better controlled, your joint coordination is improved - and you play pain-free and safely.
Avoid injuries and knee pain
The best therapy against knee pain is and remains to prevent it from occurring in the first place. In addition to a thorough warm-up, regular stretching and good regeneration, our Sports Compression Knee Support NBA helps here.
The seamless compression stimulates blood circulation around the knee joint, improves muscle control and releases energy reserves for your game.
The support is comfortable to wear and sits securely thanks to its skin-friendly silicone straps, even when things get hot under the basket. Speaking of hot: The lightweight and breathable knitted fabric wicks moisture away from the skin and keeps it cool.
Knee pain after basketball: What can you do about it?
As annoying and worrying as knee pain is after basketball, you don't have to just accept it. With these simple measures, you will not only speed up your recovery, but also quickly get rid of your knee pain.
RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
You can get quick relief from knee pain with the RICE rule. The "R" stands for "rest". Take care to quickly relieve the pain in the knee and refrain from continuing the training. "Ice" or cold is good to avoid too much swelling and relieves the pain immediately. If possible, use cold gel compresses and make sure not to apply them directly to the skin, but wrap them in a thin towel, for example. "Compression", e.g. with our supports from Bauerfeind, ensures that swellings and bruises do not spread further. You can also improve the return flow of blood to the heart and accelerate healing by "elevating" the injured knee.
Light training / exercises
Depending on how severe the pain and the injury are, you can start light training again after an appropriate rest period. Activities that are much easier on the joints than basketball are recommended, e.g. swimming, yoga, aqua jogging or light weight training. This will boost the metabolism in the joint without causing further overload and worsening the situation.
Wearing a knee brace
Wearing a knee support like our Sports Knee Support NBA is doubly good. On the one hand, it relieves the knee joint and reduces pain, and on the other hand, its structure activates blood circulation and supports the activation of the stabilising muscles. In this way, it actively supports you when you return to the court.
Sports Knee Support NBA
Thanks to the 3D AirKnit and the Omega pad, our top knee support for basketball stimulates the connective tissue and the surrounding muscles and improves sensorimotor function. Your knee joint is stabilised and relieved.
Knee pain will never distract you from scoring again!
Buy Sports Knee Support - NBA Now